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Subscribe to RSSTwo car bombs ripped into a busy intersection and a public square in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people a week after a wave of deadly bombings highlighted Iraq's struggle with militant groups.
Clouds of dark smoke rose above the center of the capital where the bombs exploded just minutes apart, leaving dead and wounded lying in the street and slumped inside a damaged minibus, witnesses and police said.
Violence in Iraq has coincided with intensifying bloodshed in neighboring Syria, where Iraqi officials warn some Sunni Muslim insurgents are heading, and with calls by al-Qaida's local Iraqi affiliate for a renewed campaign of attacks.
Three young men in blood-stained T-shirts searched for a friend near the wreckage of one of Tuesday's blasts in Baghdad and women in traditional abaya gowns screamed out the name of a missing relative, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.
A wave of seemingly synchronized bomb and gun attacks swept Iraq on July 23. With at least 90 killed throughout the country, the death toll was the highest seen so far in 2012. NBC's Kristy Breetzke reports.
"We were in a patrol when we heard the first explosion. The second explosion hit another square, and we went to help... There was a minibus with six dead passengers inside it," said Ahmed Hassan, a police officer.
The explosions followed attacks and bombings in Baghdad and across the country on July 23 that killed more than 100 people in a coordinated surge of violence against mostly Shi'ite Muslim targets. An al-Qaida affiliate known as the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility.
Wave of attacks kills more than 100 across Iraq
Violence has eased since sectarian killings reached their height in 2006-2007 when tens of thousands of Sunnis and Shiites were slain.
But insurgents have carried out a major attack at least once a month since the last U.S. troops left Iraq in December, nine years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
US vets mix regret, detachment on Iraq violence
Al-Qaida often targets Shiite pilgrims or religious sites in an attempt to stir up sectarian tensions or to show that Iraq's armed forces are unable to protect civilians.
Last month was one of the bloodiest since the U.S. withdrawal, with at least 237 people killed and 603 wounded.
Iraq's violence often feeds into political tensions.
Full international coverage from NBCNews.com
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is fending off attempts by Sunni and Kurdish rivals to vote him out of office, threatening to scuttle a fragile power-sharing agreement.
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Thank god we're no longer there.
Never should have been there in the first place. All we did was destroy the only capable enemy of Iran. Over 5000 American lives lost and over a trillion dollars spent to give Iran a new ally.
If Saddam was there, he would have kept bigoted Sunni Saudis, Kuwaiti, UAE rulers and Iran busy and under check.
Iraqi wars were the biggest blunders in the history.
We saved the ungrateful Sunni Saudis and co. In return, they manipulated high oil prices with oil price going from $30 a barrel to $145.00 at one time.
Backstabbing Sunni Saudis and co made themselves richer and gave us back 9/11, the extremist versions of Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques all over the world.
How many mosques were there before 1991 and how many are there now?
In addition to loss of soldiers, we have been bankrupted.
Sunni Saudi proxies are rampaging all over the world like new versions of beasts!
good, less muslims to worry about, as long as it's not in our back-yard
"Al-Qaida often targets Shiite pilgrims or religious sites in an attempt to stir up sectarian tensions or to show that Iraq's armed forces are unable to protect civilians."
This is supposed to be holy month of Ramadan for Christians. Just see the Sunni Islamic religious warriors are doing even during the holy month.
Do they follow a word of what they say!
We, non Muslim infidels want to ask: what a bunch of cowards Shiites are?
By the by, for Sunnis, even Shiites, Sufis, Ahmedias are infidels fit for jihad.
They talk big, act big and show their bravery before unarmed minorities like Jews, women and others. Then they add their dances when they stone them.
Shiites of Iraq should side with Kurds and should stop oil supplies to Turkey for supporting the Sunni Islamic extremists like al-Qaida, MB in Syria.
As they have been taking blows and killings by Sunnis, these Sunnis are able to act as they like to Shiites.
Shiites of Iran should side with Assad and see that all the Sunni rebels are eliminated.
What are the brave Hezbollah doing?
They should do suicide bombings in Mecca and Medina. Or else Shiites genocides just like the genocides of non-Muslims by the Sunni Islamic religious Nazis will continue.
I'll check back later. I'm just waiting for some bleeding heart to say that these bombings are our fault, then I'll jump into to the confab.
They made their own tent, let them sleep in it